To celebrate season 5 making its way to our Netflix screens May 29th, here are my top 5 favorite running gags from the cult classic comedy.
5. The Stair Car
The stair car, a vehicle Michael uses throughout the series and eventually gives to his son George Michael has been used for many jokes. From unintentionally letting prisoners escape George Sr’s prison to the ‘hop ons’ it’s not only an eye sore, but a burden for Michael to drive.
4. George Sr and his Twin Brother Oscar
Both played by Jeffery Tambor, George Sr and Oscar couldn’t be more different. One is the monarch of a major business and the other is a no ambitions ‘hippie’. Their differences almost always land Oscar in hot water and George Senior is known to switch the two of them, unknown to Oscar in order to get away from the law.
3. Lucille pitting her children against one another
This gag happens a few times a season, sometimes without her children realizing it. Lucille Bluth, one of the funniest and horrendous TV mothers of all time is known to deflect heat on her from her children, especially Michael, right back at them by pinning the blame on the other 3. This usually results in a rollercoaster of confrontations until they all eventually realize that she was shifting the blame all along.
2. Buster’s attachment to Lucille
In one of the more detailed gags, seriously go watch “Out on a Limb,” Busters attachment to his mother is one of the funniest and cringy gags from the show. In fact the one time we see him truly ‘going against mother’s wishes’ he gets his hand bit off by, you guessed it, a ‘loose seal.’
1. Tobias not hearing his double entendres
This gag gets so unbearable for Michael he asks Tobias to record himself. Everyone’s favorite wannabe actor can’t seem to land a role or understand why after nearly everything he says the family gives him a weird look. From saying things like “I blue myself” when auditioning for The Blue Man Group to “Does anyone want a sausage in the mouth” when he has disguised himself as ‘Mrs. Featherbottom’ this struggling actor/formal doctor is by far my favorite character on the show, although he does has stiff competition. See? Now I’m doing it too.